One Healthy Change a Month: Losing one pound, part 2

Did you lose one pound this month in our One Healthy Change a Month challenge? It’s time for a reality check and some weight loss inspiration to help in our quest to be healthier travelers.

How did I do? Not so hot. For various reasons (no excuses allowed—so I won’t be listing any here), my body gained a pound or two before losing back to the weight that I started with at the beginning of the month. So, no one pound weight loss for me in March. Did it happen to you, too? Here are a few inspirational tips to keep you (and me) going.

Write it down

Does this happen to you? I go through the day thinking that I’ve eaten correctly and exercised enough. But, when I stop to think about it, I realize that my mind has been tricking me into THINKING that I’ve been following my healthy living plan. In reality, not so much. That’s when I pull out a notebook and pen to start writing down everything I eat and all the exercise that I do. Seeing the results on paper tells me when I need to step my efforts up a notch or two. Using an app like My Fitness Pal (free) is another way to keep track of food and exercise.

Forget the scales

I’m not suggesting that you stop weighing yourself forever, but if fluctuating numbers are discouraging you, stop those daily weigh-ins. Instead, use a cloth measuring tape to take body measurements once a week. There are many reasons why the scale might not be showing your real progress. If you’ve recently added strength training to your exercise program, those new-found muscles may be derailing the number that you see on the scale or maybe it’s a temporary water gain.

A green smoothie is my secret weapon

Drink a smoothie

When the scales aren’t budging for me, I change things up with a healthy drink that I substitute for lunch and/or breakfast. I found this green smoothie recipe on Pinterest (it’s now pinned to my Healthy Eating Pinterest board). It originally came from the GreenReset site, which has many other smoothie recipes (although I don’t totally agree with the site’s insistence that only drastic changes will change your health). And another note: I’ve altered the recipe to include 1% organic milk fortified with vitamin D and calcium because I’m on a quest to improve the amounts of Vitamin D that my body takes in.

My version of the Green Smoothie recipe:

2 handfuls organic baby spinach

1 cup pineapple chunks (packed in its own juice)

2 bananas (a great way to use overripe ones)

1 cup of non-fat Chobani plain yogurt

1/2 cup 1% organic milk

1/2 cup filtered water

Use a blender to mix it all up. This recipe makes two large glasses and is safe to store in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Don’t be afraid to experiment: add a tablespoon of organic peanut butter for protein or other fruits like strawberries and blueberries, although they will alter the beautiful green color if appearance influences the drinkability for you. One day, I was out of yogurt but made the smoothie anyway, substituting 1% organic milk for the cup of yogurt. While the drink wasn’t as filling, it still tasted good and gave me all those yummy nutrients.